"A number of people" have asked me to write a blog post with my CUE Rockstar reflection, so I needed to oblige.
On the drive home from the CUE Rockstar Lake Tahoe conference, my head hurt. Normally, headaches evade me. This time, it didn't feel like a headache. No, it felt like my brain was about to explode. My head felt more like there was a lot of pressure rather than a thumping, pounding pain of agony. This was far different. The scientists out there would debunk my next statement, but it really did feel like my brain was full. Never before have I attended or presented at a conference where I learned so much and made so many connections as I did this week in Lake Tahoe. The drive was well worth it
On the drive home from the CUE Rockstar Lake Tahoe conference, my head hurt. Normally, headaches evade me. This time, it didn't feel like a headache. No, it felt like my brain was about to explode. My head felt more like there was a lot of pressure rather than a thumping, pounding pain of agony. This was far different. The scientists out there would debunk my next statement, but it really did feel like my brain was full. Never before have I attended or presented at a conference where I learned so much and made so many connections as I did this week in Lake Tahoe. The drive was well worth it
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When Joe Wood put the request for presenters onto Twitter, it sounded like a good idea and a relaxing getaway. Who doesn't love spending a few days amongst the trees, lakes, and thin mountain air? What the heck, I'll apply and see how it goes. When the email came through that I'd been accepted, it was an honor. At the same time, it was a lot of pressure. "Dude, you have to put together a presentation, three times, that is worthy of being considered in the conversation of a Rockstar Conference", was my thought.
Learning from my PLN on Twitter has been a heaven-sent for me this year, and it helped immensely to lean on them for support and ideas. I did what I could, created my resources, and it was game time. The whole way up, I was nervous... really nervous. After all, I'll be among GCT's who have been doing this for a number of years. They have a cohort that they've formed and I'm just the lone nut from Southern California. What the hell was I getting myself into?
Learning from my PLN on Twitter has been a heaven-sent for me this year, and it helped immensely to lean on them for support and ideas. I did what I could, created my resources, and it was game time. The whole way up, I was nervous... really nervous. After all, I'll be among GCT's who have been doing this for a number of years. They have a cohort that they've formed and I'm just the lone nut from Southern California. What the hell was I getting myself into?
Driving into Lake Tahoe, it all started to settle down a little. The scenery was just as beautiful as I remembered it from family vacations as a kid. We would come up here to get away, to relax, unwind, and enjoy ourselves.
You know what, that's just what I'm going to treat this as. I'm going to relax, unwind, and enjoy the experience for everything that it has to offer.
After unloading the goods at the hotel, it was off to Jennifer Kloczko's parents' cabin for a BBQ to meet everyone and hang out for a bit. We played some croquet, chatted about a number of things, and it all made sense- we are all just teachers. The term "Rockstar" and the necessity to live up to such an epic name was fading fast. These people are my peers and I am enjoying being in their company.
Day 1
Alder Creek Middle School was about to get crazy. The presenters got up, did their shreds, and "sang for their supper". Defending why someone should attend your session is completely new to me. Put it into the manual, have people sketch out their game plan, and call it good. Not anymore, especially with the ability to change things on the fly like this. Some sang, then some ACTUALLY sang.
@Dowbiggin actually does SING for her supper at #cuerockstar. BOOM. pic.twitter.com/yTHWz2RZT9
— John Stevens (@Jstevens009) July 9, 2013
Off to the sessions we go. The rooms were set up for a maximum of 16 attendees, and it was perfect. I had a full group in almost every session that we had, but it was a small group that became a forum. On day 1, it was all about creating lesson plans using the tools that Master Google has provided us with. If you want to take a look at the products that we created, check them out HERE. Some of the conversations that took place wouldn't have been possible without a forum to collaborate with like-minded teachers. Initially, I was doubting the theme, thinking that it should be more structured. Jon Corippo made it clear that attendees should be creating their own content, Day 1 was a success.
During lunch, some people were questioning why we had a full 2 hours to eat. After all, teachers are used to the contractual obligation of a 30-minute lunch. 2 hours is that AND THEN SOME! Instead of counting dots in the ceiling, we set up a Twitter session for beginners. It was nothing short of awesome, showing teachers something that has helped us grow as educators and people.
After the sessions, it was time to decompress. I found CrossFit Avalanche, had a great workout, realized that the elevation is nothing to mess with, then decided to meet up with the presenters and a few attendees for some dinner at the 50/50. Sessions are over, dinner is out, and it's time to relax, right? Wrong. When you sit next to Kevin, Alice, Will, and Juli, you're bound to get an overwhelming dose of educational brilliance. This was the case, learning about new tools to flip my classroom, ways to use FormMule, Doctopus, and other ideas that were "oh-yeah-duh" moments. It was time to retreat back to the room, gather my thoughts, and get ready for Day 2.
For more of Day 1, read Melissa Hero's recap
During lunch, some people were questioning why we had a full 2 hours to eat. After all, teachers are used to the contractual obligation of a 30-minute lunch. 2 hours is that AND THEN SOME! Instead of counting dots in the ceiling, we set up a Twitter session for beginners. It was nothing short of awesome, showing teachers something that has helped us grow as educators and people.
After the sessions, it was time to decompress. I found CrossFit Avalanche, had a great workout, realized that the elevation is nothing to mess with, then decided to meet up with the presenters and a few attendees for some dinner at the 50/50. Sessions are over, dinner is out, and it's time to relax, right? Wrong. When you sit next to Kevin, Alice, Will, and Juli, you're bound to get an overwhelming dose of educational brilliance. This was the case, learning about new tools to flip my classroom, ways to use FormMule, Doctopus, and other ideas that were "oh-yeah-duh" moments. It was time to retreat back to the room, gather my thoughts, and get ready for Day 2.
For more of Day 1, read Melissa Hero's recap
Day 2
Flipping your classroom is something that is still relatively new in the education community. English and Social Studies teachers claim to flip their classroom on a regular basis, and they are correct. To me, flipping the classroom is all about the opportunity to spend more time with the students to learn about them and their needs. In math, and most other subjects, we spend the majority of the period teaching and a small portion practicing.
For Day 2, my session was dedicated to understanding the flipped classroom and finding out how others had flipped theirs. We shared apps, ideas, and plenty of other resources that would help us understand how we flip the classroom. Yes, I had a shameless plug for a book about the flipped classroom that I'm co-authoring. The majority of the discussion was dedicated to gaining an understanding of how the flipped class model varies from teacher to teacher, room to room, and day to day.
The big takeaway from the session was a new app called TouchCast. We explored it and talked about the different ways that we could use it (and others) in the classroom, and it turned into somewhat of a panel discussion about the best tools for the job. When it all came down to the details, it circled back to the idea of giving more time back to the relationship-building with the students.
During lunch, we had a tutorial from Joe about how to take better pictures. We all think that we're great photographers thanks to Instagram, but he talked to us about different apps, ways to share, and ways to take better pictures overall.
For Day 2, my session was dedicated to understanding the flipped classroom and finding out how others had flipped theirs. We shared apps, ideas, and plenty of other resources that would help us understand how we flip the classroom. Yes, I had a shameless plug for a book about the flipped classroom that I'm co-authoring. The majority of the discussion was dedicated to gaining an understanding of how the flipped class model varies from teacher to teacher, room to room, and day to day.
The big takeaway from the session was a new app called TouchCast. We explored it and talked about the different ways that we could use it (and others) in the classroom, and it turned into somewhat of a panel discussion about the best tools for the job. When it all came down to the details, it circled back to the idea of giving more time back to the relationship-building with the students.
During lunch, we had a tutorial from Joe about how to take better pictures. We all think that we're great photographers thanks to Instagram, but he talked to us about different apps, ways to share, and ways to take better pictures overall.
@ucdjoe demoing Flickr for iPhone at lunch time #cuerockstar. Now it's Instagram. #TooManyToys pic.twitter.com/i40dbJ8OLk
— Josh Harris (@TeachJDH) July 10, 2013
Following Day 2, or what I thought was the end of Day 2, we went back to the hotel and rallied together for a hike. You know, a nice, casual, easy hike. Nothing big, just a little hike before dinner. Right.
That loop that you see above is the path that we took. Yes, it was absolutely gorgeous and well worth the 503 calories that Joe said we burned. During the hike, we took a few pictures, then a few more, and chatted about various things involving the current state of education. It was enlightening to have so many conversations with different folks who are in similar situations (or have been) as me. It was also inspiring to learn how schools like Natomas Charter is changing the way that we do this thing called teaching. If you haven't checked them out, do.
We finished up our brief little 4.3 mile hike, headed back tot he 50/50 for another round of great dinner and conversation, then retreated once again to the hotel for a chance to recharge the batteries. Session 3 of Day 2 was laughs, messed up bills, and more sharing of apps and resources.
We finished up our brief little 4.3 mile hike, headed back tot he 50/50 for another round of great dinner and conversation, then retreated once again to the hotel for a chance to recharge the batteries. Session 3 of Day 2 was laughs, messed up bills, and more sharing of apps and resources.
Day 2 session 3 has begun #brewcue #cuerockstar @ucdjoe @julikimbley @willkimbley @TalzBee @brookhouser @CoffeeNancy pic.twitter.com/6k3FHkZ7kv
— John Stevens (@Jstevens009) July 11, 2013
Day 3
Just to be clear, my brain is saturated at this point. The content, the connections, and the experience itself has begun to settle in and overwhelm me. It's a good thing, but overwhelming nonetheless. Before the shreds for each day, they had said that heckling and trash talk was encouraged, but we are all too professional (or so it seems) for that. We talk about our session, why people should come to it, and that's it. As a way to rouse the crowd a little bit, I aborted my initial shred and opted for some trash talk.
@Jstevens009 Trash talking about #CueRockstar faculty. Gotta love him!
— Alice Chen (@WonderTechEdu) July 11, 2013
Yes, it's true that I poked at each presenter's shred as a way to shamelessly bring more people to my Day 3, and it was a lot of fun. Day 3 was all about using mobile devices in the classroom. We talked about the resources that I have my students use and how we use BYOD in the classroom. What we got a chance to experience beyond that was the 20% project that my students worked on this year. Sharing that experience with teachers may have been the highlight of the sessions for me. Getting a chance to share students' work that they created from the ground up was a "proud teacher" moment for sure.
We had the incredible BBQ during lunch out in the patio area and had more conversations, finished up with another solid session, and got ready to head out. All in all, there wasn't a single speed bump that I ran into that slowed down the train of rockstar talent of the attendees during (or after) the conference sessions.
We had the incredible BBQ during lunch out in the patio area and had more conversations, finished up with another solid session, and got ready to head out. All in all, there wasn't a single speed bump that I ran into that slowed down the train of rockstar talent of the attendees during (or after) the conference sessions.
Takeaways and Thank-You
To Edward Hilton and the incredible tech staff of Alder Creek Middle School, you guys are the heroes of the conference. Never have I been at a technology conference where the technology hasn't completely handcuffed the sessions. It is typical to present at a conference with the assumption that something will inevitably go wrong. On the contrary, it was outstanding, so thank you.
To Rebecca Maas, you are the grease that keeps the gears turning. The things that you did to set this event up will probably get overlooked, but it went seamless and errorless because of your efforts. I thank you for all that you did to make the conference a success.
To the BBQ crew and support staff that put on the luncheon the last day, I can't thank you enough. We felt welcome and very appreciated. Oh, and the ice cream was a great touch!
The big takeaway from this week was that CUE Rockstar conferences do not imply that the presenters are rockstars. Instead, it is a collection of great teachers from all over the place to come in and share their great ideas. Initially, I was under the impression that I had to put on a rockstar show. When the conference started, I realized that the attendees were the show and I was merely a facilitator of the sessions. It was truly an honor to experience learning in a format like this.
Over 17 hours of driving, almost 1,000 miles, 12 hours of formal sessions, another 6 hours of informal sessions, and it all comes down to this: I can't wait to start the upcoming school year.
I am not a Rockstar because I was selected to present at a conference. I am a Rockstar because I care about the future of my students, surround myself with great people, and engage in the sharing and collaboration of great ideas.
Happy Fishing
To Rebecca Maas, you are the grease that keeps the gears turning. The things that you did to set this event up will probably get overlooked, but it went seamless and errorless because of your efforts. I thank you for all that you did to make the conference a success.
To the BBQ crew and support staff that put on the luncheon the last day, I can't thank you enough. We felt welcome and very appreciated. Oh, and the ice cream was a great touch!
The big takeaway from this week was that CUE Rockstar conferences do not imply that the presenters are rockstars. Instead, it is a collection of great teachers from all over the place to come in and share their great ideas. Initially, I was under the impression that I had to put on a rockstar show. When the conference started, I realized that the attendees were the show and I was merely a facilitator of the sessions. It was truly an honor to experience learning in a format like this.
Over 17 hours of driving, almost 1,000 miles, 12 hours of formal sessions, another 6 hours of informal sessions, and it all comes down to this: I can't wait to start the upcoming school year.
I am not a Rockstar because I was selected to present at a conference. I am a Rockstar because I care about the future of my students, surround myself with great people, and engage in the sharing and collaboration of great ideas.
Happy Fishing
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